Hamilton has built something at FSU. But this was his year to make a big splash. 6 of his 9 rotation players (Dulkys, James, Kreft, Loucks, Gibson and Peterson) are seniors. According to Scout they have 4 recruits committed for next year, but no big impact players. Robert Gilchrist is a 6-9 juco center but the other three recruits are guards and Montay Brandon is the only one in the RSCI top 100 at #78. Snaer, Miller and White are very good players and Terence Shannon (injury redshirt) has to potential to be a good interior player, but they are going to be much smaller and more perimeter-oriented next year.
Basically, Hamilton would have to rebuild at FSU again next year and it seems like he would rather be at Illinois than do that.
Coach K on Kyle Singler - "What position does he play? ... He plays winner."
"Duke is never the underdog" - Quinn Cook
Well, depending on what a certain coach -- we'll just call him Boa Constrictor -- does this off-season, there could be a rather intriguing opportunity opening up in the village of Storrs. And, since that certain coach would certainly seem to be on the final leg of his race and has an associate head coach that was born before Hitler invaded Poland, I think there is good reason to speculate that the university in Storrs will at least look outside of the program for its next caretaker.
As soon as the postseason ban expires and the fallout from that passes, that school would present an ideal situation for an elite young coach like Smart. A basketball-first powerhouse with multiple national championships, Big East, allure for recruits of playing in MSG several times per year, new facilities are on the way. The big drawback would be that the village of Storrs itself is virtually a ghost town. The biggest attraction around is beer. Boa Constrictor must be a downright nasty good recruiter. On the brightside, however, after Hurricane Katrina, Storrs was voted "America's Best Place to Live to Avoid Death Due to Natural Disaster." I would have guessed the middle of Indiana. Who knew?
I have heard this, too, but, even as a former Husky, Ollie has only been coaching as an assistant for three years. Just doesn't add up to me. And he was around during the more "dark period" of NCAA violation activity for the program. I would think the school would want a fresh start with a proven head coach. Guess not.
Shaka Smart has spurned Illinois.
.Shaka Smart has told Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas he’s not interested in becoming the Illini’s next basketball coach, multiple sources told the Sun-Times on Wednesday
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/11442761-419/shaka-smart-turns-down-illinois-coaching-offer.html
That article also offers a brief insight into Leonard Hamilton's chances.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
In the ESPN article discussing Smart's decision, Illinois AD Mike Thomas gives the following quote..
He does ultimately say that he must hire the best coach for the job, but it sounds like he's really pushing for a minority so that could very well hurt Chris Collins' chances. I admire the quest for minority coaches, and it sounds like Illinois is one of those schools that stands out for not ever having one, so it makes sense.Illinois is one of three Big Ten schools never to have a minority football or men's basketball head coach, and Thomas recently talked about the importance of diversity in this hire.
"For me as it falls under my job description, it's really about hiring the best basketball coach," Thomas said March 9 on "Chicago's Gamenight" on ESPN 1000. "But in saying that, it's also my job to make sure we have a quality pool and a diversified pool. We gotta have some diversity.
http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/story...turns-illinois
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Chris Collins could be interested in the Northwestern job, should their coach decide to resign.
I'd be happy to:
220px-Geena_Davis_at_the_2009_Tribeca_Film_Festival.jpg
Oops, sorry. You said Geno.
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Maybe if they're not looking for Geena, they could go to her coach, Tom Hanks. Illinois could use his coaching. There's no crying in college basketball.
Seriously though, there are a lot of mid major coaches the past few years who have passed up on decent offers. The best jobs that are likely to open up within a couple of years are Syracuse and UConn, both of which seem to favor in house succession. I think they've seen that there are stable jobs available for good money, and mid majors are more regularly winning games in the second weekend of the tourney. Ten years ago, if you were a small school with a double digit seed, you were hot stuff for making a sweet 16 and could immediately parlay that into a major conference job which was you're best chance at going even farther. With the runs that mid majors are making now, combined with the many cautionary tales of taking major conference jobs with less than desirable circumstances, has led to coaches who truly seem to be content to build their programs. I have no doubt that these guys would jump for a school in a great situation, but those kinds of openings don't come around every day.
Not to attempt a thread hijack, but could someone please point out the instances of in-house succession of coaches that was highly successful? I can't think of any. Please limit to major programs.
Good question. Off the top of my head I would say Deano to Guthridge, although Gut never stayed around long enough to really make a solid determination. In two of his three years, the heels went to the Final Four twice and he was named COY in '98. If Duke and K's successor does that after K leaves, I don't think you will find anyone on this board complaining. (too much.)
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Izzo -- From Wikipedia --Early coaching career
After graduating from Northern Michigan, Izzo was head coach at Ishpeming High School for one season. He then took an assistant coaching job at Northern Michigan University from 1979 to 1983. Izzo was then named a part-time assistant at Michigan State in September 1983. After a short two month stay in 1986 as an assistant coach at University of Tulsa, Izzo returned to Michigan State when assistant Mike Deane left to become head coach at Siena College. Prior to the 1990–91 season, then-current coach Jud Heathcote elevated Izzo to associate head coach. After Heathcote's retirement following the 1994-95 season and upon both his and the Michigan State Athletic Director's recommendation, Izzo was named the new head coach of men's basketball for MSU.
In the old days it was very common -- Dean, Carnesecca, Joe B. Hall.
sage